The Raw Shark Texts

'First things first, stay calm.'

An absolute MUST buy. If you enjoy a good metaphysical read that makes you question the very fabric of conscious thought, then you will find no better debut novel from local author Steven Hall. One of the most original novels I have read in the last 5 years - this is a postmodern tale that could only be read by us post millennium culture junkies. You are challenged as both reader and consumer as Hall literally breaks down the very barriers of the written word - through typography and basic animation to name but a few devices.

After the death of his wife the second Eric Sanderson now suffers from amnesia only to be guided by the first Eric Sanderson by a string of letters. All the while he is relentlessly pursued by an imaginary shark. Along the way we are introduced to Mr Nobody who may hold the answers he is looking for, and Scout the one woman who is connected somehow to the mysterious conceptual fish.

By exploring the official site http://rawsharktexts.com you will discover many different levels to the novel - rumour has it there are even clues that the author has left in various locations around the country. This is more than just a book but an international phenomenon that dares to lay its influences out on the table - right to the nail-biting, daringly familiar conclusion.

Jaws meets the Matrix meets Memento.

Enjoy,

Richard.

Charley Harper

Charley Harper's work can be viewed over at http://www.designobserver.com - scroll down and view the slideshow.

Design Observer has plenty of other articles to read and is regularly updated from key design writers such as Steven Heller and Adrian Shaughnessy, to name a few.

Enjoy,

Richard.

The Dog Ate my Sketchbook

We will be looking for work to publish in a new NCN publication. All you need to do is supply an excuse of why you haven't got your sketchbook (something which we never need to ask for) accompanied by a sketch or graphical / 3D representation.

To give you an idea of what route we are going down, check out the work of Oliver Jeffers at www.oliverjeffers.com

The file should be emailed to richard.johnson@ncn.ac.uk as a 300 dpi jpeg.

Richard.

Introduce Yourselves

Don't be shy...

Year Two Summer Project: 50 Ideas

Feel free to discuss and post any of your ideas to your peers. This may help in motivating you further.

How about adding a thought of the day?

Year One Summer Project: Ten by Ten

As you will be aware by now we have set you the task to fill as many sheets of 10 by 10 cm sheets of paper as you can, using only a black pen and orange pencil crayon.

The idea is for you to keep a visual diary of anything you see of interest over summer. Okay, you may be out in the rain more often; judging by the terrible weather so far, but please don't dismiss a wet page or two - sometime a happy accident can look better than the intended solution.

Richard.

Welcome to the Crazy Bus

Welcome to the HND Graphic and 3D Design blogspot here at NCN. We hope that you will all use this little space on the tinterweb to post your thoughts, share ideas and more importantly get to know eachother before you start the course.

This is your space, so feel free to comment amongst yourselves and keep an eye out for any updates throughout the year. Feel free to upload new links to websites, dates of exhibitions, scans and any further information you feel may be of use to your peers. Design is not a solitary discipline - help eachother, bounce ideas and discuss the areas of Art & Design that interest you the most.

As tutors we will add as much information as we come across and hope to see you all from time to time develop your voice on the Crazy Bus.

Richard.